


There's No Place Like Home

by Sue Corkill (mscorkill)



Series: Lost City [2]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-05
Updated: 2012-05-05
Packaged: 2017-11-04 21:08:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/398221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mscorkill/pseuds/Sue%20Corkill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been three months since the weekend Sam and Jack spent together after he put his head into the Ancient's Repository and Sam'll do whatever it takes to get him back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's No Place Like Home

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, the promised sequel. And never say never, because I wrote something I never thought I would. 
> 
> Originally posted April 2005.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Sam stared at the little blue plus sign on the plastic dipstick. Well, that explained so much, she thought pragmatically. Tamping down on all the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her uncertain control, she calmly tossed the home pregnancy test kit into the wastebasket and washed her trembling hands. It was Saturday, she had errands to run and work to do. But instead of getting dressed, she tugged her robe a bit tighter and wandered into the kitchen. Reaching for the coffee, she frowned. Better avoid caffeine, it wasn't good for babies, was it? Instead, she poured a large glass of milk and went to the living room, curling up on the sofa.

So, she was pregnant. That really did explain so much. The fatigue, her mood swings, her lack of a period for the last two months. She had initially blamed it on overwork and stress over the Colonel's predicament. But when she'd no longer been able to rationalize away the most obvious signs, she'd bought the home test kit. The part of her that was thrilled warred with her practical side. A baby would complicate things, and when the exact circumstances regarding her pregnancy were revealed, more than likely ruin her career. But somehow that paled into insignificance when compared to the prospect of having a child...Jack's child.

Jack O'Neill, who still lay frozen in an Ancient's stasis chamber in Antarctica. Even if they never found a way to revive him, she'd still have this--his child. She wondered dreamily if it was a boy or a girl. Either would be fine. She'd have to do some research, so she could chart the baby's growth. How handy that she knew the exact date when she conceived. Ten weeks ago...ten long weeks since that incredible weekend before he was taken from her. 

Her thoughts drifted, immediate and future plans all vying for attention. When the phone rang, it startled her out of her daydreams for the nursery. Scrambling to her feet, she crossed to the den, catching it on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Sam." Daniel--and he sounded peevish. "I thought you were going to help me with this translation today? It's after eleven."

"Oh...Daniel." She glanced at the clock, it was 1115. "I'm sorry...I got...distracted." She took a deep breath, frantically trying to think of a believable excuse. "I, well...something came up. I won't be able to make it in today. I can help you on Monday."

"Sam, is everything okay?" 

He sounded concerned now. She tried to inject more enthusiasm into her voice. "Yes, Daniel, everything is okay. Today just isn't going to work. Goodbye."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The phone clicked in his ear before Daniel could even protest or say goodbye. Hanging up, he stared at his computer, the pattern of words on the monitor coalescing into a blur while he tried to decipher that very unusual conversation. They all felt Jack's absence acutely and perhaps Sam felt it deeper than either he or Teal'c, given what he suspected had happened between them that last weekend. And the longer Jack remained frozen, the more difficult it became to remain optimistic.

He chafed at the restrictions that kept him on base instead of at Antarctica, where he belonged; he wasn't getting anywhere here. Of course, he didn't know if it would be any different down there, given the current political situation. But at least he'd be where he suspected the answer was to be found. Which might explain Sam's behavior, she had sounded decidedly odd, not at all like her usual self. Something wasn't right. Focusing on the Ancients' writing that appeared to be mocking his inability to translate it, he applied himself once more to what seemed an almost impossible task.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three hours later Daniel pulled his car up in front of Sam's house. He wasn't sure what her reaction would be regarding this intrusion into her privacy. But he had promised Jack that he would look out for her--or at least something like that, if his translation of the Ancient language Jack had been speaking was accurate.

Bounding up the steps before he could talk himself out of it, Daniel knocked on the door. There was no answer, so he knocked a little harder. "Sam?" He sensed movement on the other side of the door and then it slowly opened.

"Daniel?" She opened the door wider. "What are you doing here?"

"I...ah..." he wasn't sure what to say, so he smiled. "Can I come in?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders and stepped back, holding the door open. "Sure."

Once inside, he followed her down the hall. She was dressed in sweat pants and a T-shirt. She didn't seem unduly upset. Maybe he'd imagined it all. She stopped outside the entry to the kitchen. "I was just going to make some herbal tea. Would you like some?"

"Ah...sure." He leaned back against the nearest counter and watched her gather up another mug and teabag. The kettle was already steaming, so it wasn't long before he was once more following her. This time, into her living room, a mug of hot tea in his hands.

Sam curled up on the sofa and he sat at the opposite end. She looked at him over her steaming cup. "So, why are you here, Daniel?"

He took a sip of the soothing lemon tea. "You just sounded...funny, on the phone. I'm concerned."

Her lips curved in a half smile. "Thanks, Daniel."

"So what's wrong?" he persisted. "I know we've been so busy, with all the changes and trying to figure out how to get Jack back. But...it's not like you to forget our meeting today."

"I'm pregnant."

He knew his mouth dropped opened and he immediately snapped it shut. Of all the things she could have said, he never expected that.

She smiled at him. "Don't look so surprised, Daniel. It does happen."

"I mean, I know...but..." he stammered, not quite sure how to ask the next obvious question, so he tried to skirt around it. "I thought you and Pete broke up?"

"We did," she replied calmly.

"So...is Pete?"

"No, Pete's not the father." She gave him that enigmatic smile again.

"Then who?" She didn't say anything but looked levelly at him with those calm blue eyes. Who could she mean? 

"Oh...oh!" It suddenly hit him. The only other person it could be was in stasis thousands of miles away. "So you and Jack finally..." he mused.

"Yeah, finally." Her tone was dry but her eyes were still soft and tender.

"Are you happy?"

That curious half smile played across her lips again and her voice was soft when she answered. "Yeah, I'm happy. I know it creates a million new problems, but I'm happy."

"So...you'll keep it?"

"I can't do anything else, Daniel." She placed her hand over her stomach. "This may be all that's left of Jack."

She had a point, he knew, as grim as the thought was. "What are you gong to do?"

"Find a way to get this baby's father back."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few weeks flew by. Sam spent most of her time on base, working with Daniel and Teal'c in trying to figure out how to revive Jack. She had told Teal'c about her pregnancy, though she suspected he already knew. Both men tried to coddle her, and while she appreciated their attention, she was determined to remain independent. No one else knew, but the time was coming when she'd have to tell Brightman--and Weir. But not yet. There was still too much to do. The work went frustratingly slow, dependent as they were on the limitations of their shared jurisdiction for access to anything.

"It's here, Sam." Daniel's excited voice broke into her discouraging thoughts. He walked into her lab and set down the large box he carried. "Weir finally convinced them to at least send us this much."

She looked on curiously as he opened the box. "These are from the Ancients?"

"I think so. That's what we need to decide actually." He lifted out several oddly shaped, bubble-wrapped items. "I'm hoping one of these will be some kind of instruction manual."

Stifling her chuckle, since he actually seemed serious, she watched as he carefully unwrapped the artifacts and set them in a row on her worktable. She picked the closest one up, a trapezoidal shaped...something that looked surprisingly like a palm pilot. "Daniel--" And then she stopped speaking when the artifact suddenly glowed a soft amber and started to hum. "What?" she dropped the device, which clattered across the table until Daniel picked it up.

"Sam...what just happened?" He picked up the artifact, turning it over in his hands. Nothing happened when he held it.

"I don't know, Daniel. I just picked it up and it...did that!"

"Here." He held it out to her. She shook her head, backing up. "Go ahead, it won't hurt you. At least I think it won't." 

It looked innocuous enough, when Daniel held it. Taking a step back toward him, she reached out and took it. Almost immediately this time, it started to glow and hum, getting warm in her hand. "This isn't Goa'uld, Daniel. I shouldn't be able to use it."

"No," he said excitedly. "It definitely is a relic of the Ancients."

She glared at him and set the device back down on the table. "I don't have that ability, Daniel."

He stared over her left shoulder with that abstracted look on his face that told her he was thinking. "You may not have the ability...but perhaps your unborn child does."

Her hands flew to her still-flat belly and she continued to glare at him. "Are you saying a three month old fetus did that?"

"No...you definitely did it." He continued to stare off into space. "Remember how Jack was able to heal Bra'tac? What if there's something more than just the knowledge dump from the Ancient's repository that happened to him? What if something in Jack's genetic make-up gives him, I don't know, some ingrained ability to use their technology?" 

What he said almost made a weird kind of sense, given all the strange things they'd seen and encountered. And the Asgard had said that Jack was special. "So you think that because I'm carrying Jack's child, that I have some kind of ability to use this stuff?" She gestured toward the devices still on the table.

"Isn't there some kind of maternal-fetal blood circulation thing going on? That whole positive and negative blood type thing?"

"Well...I haven't done a lot of research or anything yet, but yeah, the placenta and everything. That's how the baby gets oxygen, nutrients and the like."

"So, if you share things with the fetus, then it stands the reason the fetus can share things with you."

She picked up the artifact again, turning it slowly in her hands and studying it this time when it started to glow and hum. The flat area on one side glowed brighter and she brushed her fingers over it, smiling slightly when writing appeared. "Daniel, I don't think I really care right now how I can do this." She turned the device so he could see it. "The important thing for Jack is that I can."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam closed her eyes and tried to ignore the vague nausea that had been roiling in her stomach ever since they'd taken off from Petersen. Brightman had given her some pills, if she needed them. It would almost be too much trouble to ferret them out though, since she had no idea where her pack had finally ended up. 

"Major Carter." 

She opened her eyes to find Teal'c crouching in front of her, a little yellow pill in one hand a bottle of water in the other. 

"Thanks," she said gratefully. She swallowed down the pill and he nodded with a look of satisfaction and returned to his seat across the aisle from her. Yeah, she had a big, bad Jaffa babysitter these days, but she really didn't care right now. Daniel sat a few seats away, typing madly on his laptop. Sam didn't see how he could possibly get anything done, given the noise and bumpy flight, but it didn't seem to bother him. She knew he was still working on the recently discovered inscriptions, hoping to maximize the time Weir had given them.

The last few days had been a blur, once it became apparent that she had some ability to activate Ancient technology. She didn't think she'd ever forget the look on Weir's face when she'd had to confess the reason Daniel thought she could use Ancient technology. The briefest of frowns had crossed Weir's face and then she was back to the ever-tactful diplomat. If she knew that a relationship between her and O'Neill was totally out of bounds, she didn't reveal it, merely asked how she could help. 

It had taken some persuading, but she had to give it to Daniel, he had a way with words--and with Doctor Weir apparently--and ultimately she had agreed to see if she could persuade the coalition to allow SG-1 to visit Antarctica. After that, Brightman had been easy. The doctor hadn't done anything except nod coolly and then, in her usual efficient and impersonal manner, had run some blood work, performed an ultrasound and pronounced both mother and child healthy. She had been given pre-natal vitamins, the anti-nausea pills and a stern warning to keep the appointment she'd been given in a month's time--when an obstetrician with the necessary security clearances would evaluate her.

Closing her eyes, Sam squirmed in the rigging, finding a somewhat more comfortable position. The nausea had subsided and she was determined to get some sleep. She had the feeling it might be the last she had for a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_What should have taken thousands of years only took little more than one. But then that was truly the paradox of their incarceration; they had all the time in the universe. And he was the only one left, the others having been...reabsorbed, in order to allow him to survive, in order for their future to survive. How foolish the Asgard were, thinking that a mere black hole would be able to stop them...stop him. The Asgard would live only long enough to regret their arrogance, and the humans...they would regret the day they crawled out of the swamps._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say she was discouraged by the apparent lack of progress at the underground city would be an understatement. Oh, there was a rudimentary elevator and lighting had been strung, but other than that, the whole area looked basically untouched. And it was still cold...a cold that chilled her heart when she thought of Jack frozen in stasis here. The elevator carrying her, Daniel and Teal'c eventually clattered to a stop. The door was opened and who should be standing there but Rodney McKay. Sam grimaced, could it get any worse? She should have checked the personnel listing and then she could have prepared herself for meeting her personal nemesis.

"Doctor Jackson, good to have you here." McKay shook Daniel's hand then turned to Teal'c, who merely brushed past him. McKay looked momentarily daunted, but then his face brightened when he saw her. "Major Carter, I was thrilled to get the message you would be part of the scientific group from the SGC."

She gave him a false smile. "I'm sure you were, McKay." Evidently Weir hadn't told the eager scientist exactly why SG-1 had been sent to the base. 

"Please, call me Rodney." He tried to take her arm and walk with her, but bless Teal'c, who swiftly insinuated his huge bulk between her and McKay. 

And then Daniel intercepted him and started walking down the corridor. "So tell me about the inscriptions that were uncovered at the base of the stasis chamber."

"Well, they are obviously a way to either open and close the pod or start and stop the process. Of course, none of us can..."

McKay's voice trailed off down the corridor and Sam shivered slightly. Being here again brought back so many memories, along with finally seeing Jack again.

"Are you unwell, Major Carter?"

Sam flashed Teal'c a weak smile. "No, it's just strange, being back here."

He nodded, apparently satisfied and started down the corridor. Sam followed slowly, looking around and trying to decide if anything seemed...familiar now. She could hear the sounds of other people and activity, which made her wonder just how much Weir hadn't told them about what was happening here. Maybe she was being paranoid, maybe they were just starting to accelerate their work here. Right now she was more worried that even if she could operate the technology, could she control it? She might just as easily kill Jack as revive him. The closer they got to the inner chamber where she assumed Jack was, the colder she got. When she and Teal'c finally entered the room, Daniel and McKay were already kneeling at the base of the stasis pod. 

There were lights strung around and several freestanding spotlights focused on the pod. God, it was almost more than she could bear to see him like this. Ignoring the two talking men, she cautiously approached the pod. Reaching out with one hand, she touched the smooth surface of the chamber, running her fingers over the area covering his face. If she didn't know he was alive, she would swear he was dead. His eyes haunted her, staring sightlessly and filled with such resignation that it tore at her soul.

"Sam?" She took a step back, Daniel's voice breaking the spell. He looked up at her, his eyes full of understanding--and McKay's full of annoyance. "Any of this seem familiar?"

Kneeling down next to them and consciously ignoring the man frozen in the chamber, she ran her hand lightly across the symbols. They seemed to get warmer under her fingers but nothing happened. "Have you translated them?" she asked.

"This hasn't exactly been our priority."

Sam glared at McKay, who merely shrugged. She turned to Daniel. "Daniel?"

He was flipping through a small notebook, running his finger down through the tiny, cramped writing. "Well, this first one means either start or finish. But since it's on the left, I'm going with beginning. And this one," he pointed to the middle one. "I think it means restore." He looked at her sheepishly. "But whether that means restore the subject in the chamber or restore the machine to its original settings...well, you get what I mean."

Sam stood then, stretching her back, the first inklings of hope filling her. "So, we might be able to activate the chamber and restore him."

"Even if we could activate this chamber, I would highly caution against it."

"I don't care what you think. If we can activate this chamber and restore Colonel O'Neill, we're going to do it."

"Major," McKay started in his condescending voice which only served to raise her hackles. "I don't think you understand. No one here--except the frozen Colonel here--has the ability to activate any of this technology!"

"Major Carter has the ability," Teal'c intoned quietly.

"That's impossible. Last I heard, you weren't the one who stuck his head into one of the Ancient's repositories."

"Daniel?" Sam asked, holding out her hand. Maybe it wasn't the wisest thing to do, but McKay's smugness was more than she could tolerate right now.

Daniel looked blankly at her for a moment, but then he nodded and started digging around in his pack. Pulling out a piece of soft cloth, he unwrapped the device she'd first activated. "This was in the shipment that Doctor Carpenter sent to the SGC." He held it up to her, still resting on the cloth and she picked it up.

"Oh come on! You can't seriously expect me to believe that you can--" Sam smiled at the look on McKay's face when the artifact started to glow and hum softly. "That isn't possible!" He snatched the device out of her hand and it immediately went dark. "It looks like one of the artifacts we found here--" 

"It is. Her ability is real." Daniel plucked the device out of McKay's hand and wrapped it back in the cloth. 

"But how?"

"That would be classified," Daniel replied mildly.

"I have the highest security clearance you can get."

Daniel shrugged and looked at her. McKay would find out the truth soon enough, so she might as well tell him now. "I'm pregnant."

The look on McKay's face was almost identical to Daniel's when she first told him. His mouth fell open and then snapped back shut, a look of disbelief on his face and then he recovered, his smugness returning. "The fact that you have a fetus inside you should have no affect on Ancient technology."

"It's not just the child."

"What is there other than the child?"

"The father." Teal'c rumbled.

"The father?" McKay repeated, clearly puzzled. "Major Carter's father can use Ancient technology?"

Sam fought back a smile. Daniel rolled his eyes and Teal'c answered. "The father of Major Carter's child."

McKay looked chagrined, but recovered quickly. "That's what I meant. Of course it's the father of the child." And then his eyes turned wide as saucers and his mouth hung open like a fish gasping on the line. He started to turn an alarming shade of purple, but then he appeared to come to himself, his mouth closing and his arrogant smirk returned. "You can't be serious! This," he gestured toward the stasis chamber, "frozen Neanderthal is the father of your child?" 

"The Asgard have determined that O'Neill's genetic code has advanced beyond that of the normal human." Teal'c's voice was silky smooth and brooked no argument.

McKay kept talking however, apparently oblivious to the impact of his words. "I mean, I really thought you would choose someone with an IQ higher than his shoe size. After all, these military types, all they are is brawn with no brains at all, mindless machines that do exactly as they're told--"

"McKay," Sam interrupted. He was pissing her off and if he was pissing her off heaven only knew what was going through Teal'c's mind.

"Of course," McKay focused on her. "You being the exception of course to the all brawn and no brains rule. But still, stupid choice...must be the blonde hair."

"I don't give a damn whether you understand why I chose Colonel O'Neill's DNA over yours. That's not what's important right now. What is important is figuring out if this ability of mine will help us get him out of stasis--alive and in one piece."

"DNA! God, I can't believe it! Even when you don't try you still come up with the answer!" McKay positively bounced on his feet with enthusiasm. "It's in his DNA!"

"What are you talking about, McKay?" she asked waspishly.

"No, Sam. You know he's right. The Asgard said Jack's 'genetic code' had advanced, that can only mean one thing. There's something in his DNA that gave him the ability to do what he did--access the repositories, activate their technology."

"As fascinating as this discussion has been, did you have any sort of plan besides just randomly pushing buttons?"

Sam gritted her teeth, biting back her retort. Fortunately, Daniel took the lead. "Actually, I think she'll just have to push one button."

"And here I thought Major Carter was the only one who pulled wild ideas out of thin air. Did you get this tendency from her or has it always been a problem for you?"

Daniel ignored McKay. "Teal'c? See if you can round up some help and let's move this stasis pod to the surface."

Teal'c nodded and then returned the way they had come. Sam had her doubts about moving him though. "Are you sure that won't hurt him?"

"The chamber appears to be completely self-contained," McKay replied. "The only reason we haven't moved it is...well...besides the whole coffin like thing going on, there just didn't seem to be anything we could do and it was safe here."

"If we actually do manage to revive him, Sam, we need to be in a more controlled environment than this."

He was right, she knew. And she should be glad Daniel didn't want to take Jack all the way back to the SGC. Whatever happened would happen here. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam shivered, her eyes helplessly drawn back to the stasis pod where Jack lay. As far as they could tell, the move hadn't disturbed the chamber at all. Daniel and the coalition's resident linguist, Doctor Zeke Carpenter, were busy conferring in hushed voices over a computer screen. McKay had disappeared; she could only hope he'd stay away. After his reaction to their plan--and her pregnancy--she wasn't sure she could tolerate more of his insufferable attitude without doing him bodily harm. 

"Major Carter." 

"Hmm?" Teal'c had arrived silently by her side, a steaming mug in his hand. 

"Here. It is the herbal tea you favor."

"Thanks, Teal'c." She gave him a weary smile and took the welcome mug of tea. 

"I have also managed to procure a sandwich and a banana." He pulled a plastic wrapped sandwich out of his jacket, along with the promised banana.

"Thanks. I'm not really hungry." Actually, the thought of eating anything made her stomach churn and she only partly suspected it was from the thought of food.

"As you wish," he said calmly, setting the food down on the counter. "However it is not wise to deprive yourself and your child of food."

Sometimes her appointed guardians were a pain in the ass, but he was right, she did need to eat. Picking up the banana, she peeled it halfway down and broke off a small bite. A satisfied smile flitted briefly across Teal'c's face and if her mouth hadn't been full of banana, she would have stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sam?" Daniel looked up from the monitor. "I think we've got the correct sequence."

"You think?"

"Well, ma'am, about as sure as we can be," Carpenter commented.

Sam set the half-eaten banana down and nervously wiped her hands on her trousers. She was scared half to death. Taking a deep breath and she tried to calm her fears--she had to keep calm, everyone was depending on her. Walking over to the pod, she placed one hand on it and forced herself to focus on what Daniel was telling her.

"Just follow this pattern." He set a sheet torn out of a yellow legal pad down in front of her, partially obscuring the still figure in the pod. She nodded, studying the drawn symbols and comparing them to the ones of the pod. Daniel pointed at the three lines. "It builds on a non-repeating sequence of prime numbers. If Carpenter and I are right, this should initiate a reversal of whatever process Jack underwent to put him in stasis."

"What about his mind?"

Sam didn't like the look that Daniel and Carpenter exchanged. "To be honest, Sam. We're less clear on that point. Our theory is that the stasis pod itself will have reversed whatever changes the download made in his brain function."

It sounded plausible. She took a deep breath and glanced briefly at Jack's lifeless face. If this didn't work...she forced her mind away from that possibility and moved until she stood at the base of the pod. Running her fingers experimentally over the raised symbols, she glanced at the paper one more time. No guts, no glory, she told herself and pressed the first symbol.

Nothing happened until she pressed the third symbol, when the pod started to hum softly and interior lighting glowed softly over Jack. Her heart started to thud against her breast and she hoped the three men didn't notice how her hand shook as she moved to the next row of symbols.

"Ah, just in time for the main event?"

Sam jumped, her finger slipping across the symbols. "McKay!" she whirled and faced him, only to find Teal'c blocking her way. 

"If you persist in upsetting Major Carter, I shall take great pleasure in separating your limbs from your body."

"Umm...sorry there, big guy." 

Teal'c growled and Sam cautiously peered around him and was pleased to see McKay was taking Teal'c's threat seriously. 

"I'll just stand over here in the corner." He looked her way with pleading eyes. "If that's okay with you, Major?"

"It's okay, Teal'c, he can stay. Just make sure there aren't any more interruptions." Teal'c nodded and she turned back to the console, Daniel and Teal'c moving into place behind her--along with Carpenter--shielding her. 

Closing her eyes, she calmed herself, building an image of her, Jack and their baby--all alive and well and happy together. When she had that firmly planted in her mind, she opened her eyes and began pressing the symbols. By the time she'd reached the fifth symbol, the console was warm to the touch. Her eyes flew briefly to Daniel and he nodded in encouragement. The moment she touched the first symbol on the next line, the pod started to vibrate slightly. Her heart was racing again and she had to force her trembling fingers to go to the next symbol...only six more. 

When she pressed the final symbol, the front panel of the console sank into the base of the pod. They all took an automatic step back when the clear barrier dissolved, the rest of the chamber folding down compactly on the table. Sam was held almost spellbound, watching Jack's face for any sign of life when he finally blinked and drew in a ragged breath. 

"Jack," she said urgently, moving to his side and placing her hand on his cheek. His skin was still so cool....

He grabbed her wrist with a surprisingly strong grip and whispered, his voice hoarse. "Retuisto." 

"The process isn't completely reversed," Daniel exclaimed. He dashed back to the computer and began digging through a pile of papers there. "I think I recognize that word."

"So do I, Daniel," Sam said slowly, her eyes locked with Jack's.

"Retuisto fabrica argentum." His hand fell away and his eyes closed.

McKay and Carpenter had both joined Daniel in trying to find the translation. Papers were being tossed about with frantic abandon; McKay was cursing at the computer. 

"Daniel." 

"I think I've found it Sam."

"Daniel," she said with more force and he looked at her. "Where are the artifacts we brought with us?"

His brow furrowed and he frowned, but answered. "In my backpack."

"I need the silver one."

"The silver one?"

"Daniel!"

"Here, Major Carter." Thank god for Teal'c, she thought, taking the pack from him and digging urgently through it, finally finding the device she needed. She turned back to Jack, who still lay quietly in on the table, the only indication that he was alive the barely perceptible rise and fall of his chest.

"How do you know that's going to work, Sam?"

"I just do, Daniel." The palm-shaped device had already started to vibrate in her hand and she closed her eyes, holding it over Jack's chest. "All right baby, Mommy needs your help. This is for Daddy," she whispered.

She felt the warmth from the device surround her and knew it had to be surrounding Jack, too. Opening her eyes, she moved her hand slowly over his torso. Something seemed to be happening, his breathing was growing stronger. Relief flooded through her and then Jack was enveloped in a brilliant white flash and disappeared. 

"No!" Her scream was swallowed in another shimmer of white light and the remaining members of SG-1 disappeared. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_He felt numb, not cold numb, but that sort of vague, nonspecific numb you get when you're dreaming and you know you're dreaming. And he had to be dreaming, because Sam was there. His last rational thought had been of her, so it was no surprise to him that he would dream of her. His brain was still filled with images and words that he had no control over and it wasn't getting any better._

_But she was trying to help him. He sensed it...could feel it...there was something different in her now. He could feel a connection to her that hadn't been there before and that told him she would know what to do. So he'd told her--as best he could--what she needed. And just like he'd known, she found it and she was going to fix it. Sam would save him, just like she had so many times in the past._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Welcome to the Valhalla."

Sam spun around, the transport process leaving her momentarily disoriented. She sensed Daniel and Teal'c right beside her, Teal'c with his weapon at ready. A diminutive Asgard gazed down at them from the dais of what could only be an Asgard ship. 

"And you are?" Daniel found his voice first.

"I am Aegir, Commander of the Valhalla."

"Where's Colonel O'Neill?" Sam demanded.

Aegir padded softly down the ramp leading to the dais and approached them. "He is well. I have finished the process you started, Major Carter. He shall recover."

"Can we see him?" Not that she didn't trust the Asgard, but they had gone through so much.

"He is resting now, in one of my medical pods."

His words reassured her somewhat. But then Daniel spoke, casting doubt on the beneficence of Aegir's unexpected arrival. "But healing Jack isn't the only reason you're here, is it?"

Sam looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?

"Well, think about it, Sam. If he was only here to heal Jack, why transport all of us to his ship?" Daniel turned back to Aegir. "Right?"

Aegir blinked and slowly nodded. "You are correct, Daniel Jackson. It was only within the past few days that we were notified of Colonel O'Neill's situation. High Commander Thor has been occupied with monitoring the Replicator threat, which has recently escalated."

"Well, that explains why we haven't heard from him."

"His long-range communications have been disrupted by a dense gravitational field." 

And while that was a reason, it certainly didn't explain why Thor was near a dense gravity field. Unless..."What does that have to do with the Replicators?" Sam asked. "I thought they were still trapped in the time dilation device?"

Aegir walked back to his control panel and shifted several stones. An image of a black hole appeared on the huge view screen. "A more permanent solution was needed, so we created this black hole. However the Replicators have somehow managed to break free of the gravity field." Aegir shifted one of the stones and image on the screen zoomed in, a tiny dark speck was visible on the outer edge of the black hole. "As you can see, they are on the edge of the black hole. It is only a matter of time before they escape the field completely."

"Well, surely you can destroy them once they're free of the black hole?" Daniel voiced exactly what she had been thinking. 

"That is our hope." 

"Your hope?" she asked, in surprise.

"Commander Thor is of the belief that O'Neill possesses knowledge of Ancient technology that will enable us to permanently defeat the Replicators."

"But you told us you had healed him." Sam so did not like where this conversation was going. 

"I have." Aegir shifted another stone and a technical diagram filled the screen. "During the restoration process, I was able to download vast quantities of the Ancient data out of O'Neill's brain."

"You weren't interested in healing him, you just wanted to access the knowledge he obtained from the repository," Sam accused. Aegir didn't say anything, merely blinked at her with those large, dark eyes. 

"Well, not to sound ungrateful," Daniel interjected smoothly, before she could give vent to the mix of emotions rolling through her, "but you have your information. Return us to Earth."

"It is not that simple."

"It never is," Sam muttered under her breath.

"We believe that O'Neill may be the only one able to use the device in its original form. His presence is essential."

"I can use the device," she asserted quickly. She'd be damned if she was going to let the Asgard coldly use Jack this way.

"We have determined..." Aegir's tiny hands flew over his control panel, shifting stones. "Ah...I see." He glanced at her with his large, unblinking eyes and once more walked down the ramp from the dais. "While your unborn child does give you some limited ability in using Ancient technology, I fear it will not be sufficient for the task required."

"You are deliberately placing Colonel O'Neill at risk with this!"

"I can assure you, Major Carter. We have no desire to injure O'Neill. We find him as valuable as you do."

"I doubt that," she muttered ungraciously, still fuming at their arrogance for just assuming they could use Jack like he was just some kind of tool....

"So the Asgard once again require our assistance?" Teal'c interjected smoothly. 

"Do not underestimate the threat the Replicators represent for the entire galaxy. Our best chance is to stop them as they leave the black hole."

"You talk like that's a foregone conclusion." 

An urgent beeping from the console interrupted whatever Aegir might have said. He quickly moved some stones and when he looked toward them, his eyes were soulful. "The Replicator ship has escaped the gravitational pull of the black hole. We must return to Orilla at once."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even with the amazing Asgard technology, the trip to Orilla was still going to take several hours. Teal'c had almost immediately found a quiet corner and settled into meditate--something he still did regularly even though he no longer carried a symbiote. Daniel had gone in search of food, after her admonition to stay away from the yellow ones. And she had gone to find Jack.

Of course Aegir's directions were meticulous and Sam found the medical bay with no problems. The door swooshed open and she took a shaky breath. Aegir had assured her again that he was fine, just sleeping...and that he would wake naturally. Somehow his reassurances weren't that reassuring and she wouldn't be happy until she'd seen him for herself. 

The room was dark, but the moment she entered, subdued lighting came on. The medical pod sat in the middle of the room and Sam walked over to it. Her legs felt wobbly and she wasn't sure how she actually made it the last few feet to the pod. He lay in the pod, just like Aegir had said, looking like he was asleep. And she could tell it was a natural sleep, his features were relaxed and his chest rose and fell in the slow, rhythmic pattern of sleep. 

The relief that swelled through her was overwhelming and she felt momentarily faint. Sitting down abruptly, she dropped her head between her knees. Lights flashed before her closed eyes, but with some deep breaths she started to feel better. She wished now that she had eaten more of that banana Teal'c had brought her. 

When she finally felt like she could stand, she got back to her feet and gazed down at Jack. Reaching out with a trembling hand, she first laid it on his chest, needing the tactile reassurance that he was indeed breathing...that his heart was beating. She ran her hand delicately along his neck, feeling the strong beat of his pulse and then she caressed his cheek. Without even thinking, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. 

"Sam?"

She drew back in surprised. His eyes were open and filled with confusion. 

"Jack...sir," she corrected herself automatically. "It's okay, you're okay. We're onboard an Asgard vessel, the Valhalla."

He nodded, comprehension returning slowly to his eyes. "Well, that explains the under-whelming décor."

She chuckled softly. "You've been in stasis for almost three months."

"What about Earth? Did we defeat Anubis?" 

"You saved Earth. The weapon saved us all. You saved us all."

"That's good," he murmured, his eyes closing.

"I'll just let you rest." 

"No--" His hand shot out and even with his eyes closed, he unerringly grabbed her wrist. His eyes opened then, dark and slightly panicked. "Don't go." 

Twisting her wrist gently out of his grip so she could hold his hand, she reassured him. "Don't worry, I'll stay." Looking around the sparsely furnished room, she finally saw something that would pass for a stool and dragged it over to the pod. Another few moments of fiddling with the pod's control panel and she managed to lower the side. 

"There," she said, sitting down and taking his hand again. "That's better."

"Much," he agreed, his voice was already heavy with fatigue.

"You rest, sir." His eyes closed and she stroked her thumb across the back of his hand. "I have the feeling you're going to need your strength," she whispered. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_It would be incredibly easy, arrogance had always been the Achilles Heel of the Asgard--that and their dependence on their technology. Now that they were almost free of the black hole, it would take very little effort for his brethren to access the Asgard vessel currently monitoring them and obtain the information he needed. It would be his great pleasure to plunder the new Asgard home world and leave it decimated and devoid of life._

_He wasn't worried about the ship monitoring them or the other Asgard vessel that was closing in on their position. They'd only do something predictable, like try to use their ineffective weapons or their ship's self-destruct protocol to destroy him. A black hole couldn't stop them. He had planned for any eventuality, he'd had plenty of time, after all._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam didn't know how long she sat with Jack, holding his hand, taking comfort from just his presence. She hadn't really thought beyond reviving him. Reaching out with her free hand, she tenderly caressed his cheek again, his forehead. She loved him so much, but the reality of their relationship was that he hadn't expected to survive. But he had...and they were on an Asgard ship going into battle against the Replicators and she was pregnant. Welcome back, Jack, she thought sadly.

"Major Carter."

Reluctantly removing her hand from Jack's face, she turned and looked at Teal'c. 

"Aegir reports that we shall be rendezvousing with Thor shortly."

"Are we at Orilla?"

"No, Thor is still in pursuit of the Replicator vessel. He will drop out of hyperspace briefly to transport us to the Daniel Jackson."

"The Daniel Jackson?" First the O'Neill and now the Daniel Jackson? What was it with the Asgard and naming their spaceships? Had they run out of Norse names already? 

"So Aegir said." Teal'c approached the pod and stood next to her. "Has he awakened?"

"Once--"

"I'm awake," Jack rumbled, opening his eyes. 

"O'Neill. It is good to see you again."

"Same here, Teal'c." 

Sam studied him carefully. His eyes were clear and filled with awareness--none of the confusion from when he'd awakened earlier. His color was good and when she brushed the back of her free hand across his forehead, his skin was warm and dry. Jack quirked an eyebrow at her at the unexpected contact and withdrew his hand from hers. She felt a slight sting at the mild snub and the loss of his touch acutely. 

Jack sat up and Sam stood up out of the way when he swung his legs over the side of the pod. He looked at both of them. "So tell me--"

A bright white enveloped them and Sam felt the same disorientation she had felt when Aegir had transported them onto the Valhalla. When she opened her eyes, they were on a much more impressive Asgard vessel. The Daniel Jackson, she presumed.

"--Damn! I hate it when that happens in the middle of sentence." The abrupt transport didn't seem to phase Jack at all. He looked around briefly and when he spotted Thor, he strode toward the dais. "Thor, old buddy. Good to see you."

Sam could feel the dizziness fading, but something else was wrong. She looked around almost frantically. "Where's Daniel?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel knew immediately he wasn't on board on Asgard vessel. Besides no little gray aliens, there was no Sam, Jack or Teal'c. Okay, this wasn't going to be good, he decided, a feeling that was reinforced when he heard the distinctive clattering of tiny feet. He hated that sound and he hated the Replicators. Wondering belatedly if his teammates were somewhere else on the ship, he started toward the door. Pulling out his sidearm he cautiously crossed the room, only to stop in surprise when a figure emerged from the wall.

It was a man, at least he assumed it was a man. He was tall, well groomed with just the slightest hint of gray at the temples, wearing a dark brown tunic and slacks. He smiled--and it wasn't a pleasant one. 

"So, you are the great Doctor Daniel Jackson." His voice dripped with arrogance.

"Ah...yes, I am. And you would be?"

"You may call me First."

"First what? First prime? First in show?"

"Ah, Doctor Jackson. I had no idea you had such a droll sense of humor."

"Yes, well...where are my friends?"

"On the way to their dooms, I imagine." First sounded almost apologetic. "They'll arrive at Orilla just in time to witness its total destruction and then I fear, they shall die as well."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Daniel muttered.

First smiled condescendingly. "Ah, I do find you humans so amusing. I am looking forward to our time together."

"Well, you'll excuse me if I'm not as enthusiastic."

First inclined his head in an imperious manner and took a step toward him. Daniel found himself automatically backing up. "Are you the only one here?"

"Not that it matters to you, but yes, I am."

"I thought there were others, you know, two, three, four?" First nodded, his jaw tightening slightly, so Daniel continued. "Too much competition?"

First shrugged, his voice matter of fact. "Their sacrifice was necessary." He cocked his head, his look speculative. "But then you understand sacrifice, don't you, Doctor Jackson? After all, it was your sacrifice that saved Jonas Quinn and Kelowna. A sacrifice that led to your...what is it called?" First looked off into the distance for a moment. "Ah yes," he looked back at him, his eyes hard. "Ascension."

The general anxiety Daniel had been feeling since he found himself on the Replicator coalesced into cold fear, settling in the pit of his stomach. "So you've done your homework," he retorted, playing for time.

"It was most interesting to see your death and rebirth through O'Neill's mind." First paused for a moment, a perplexed look crossing his face. "He seemed genuinely distressed by your death."

"Well...we're friends."

"Ah yes, friends. Another one of those mystifying aspects of being human--your dependence on one another."

"Don't you depend on your...brethren?"

First smiled. "In a manner of speaking, I suppose we do. However, we do not let sentimental emotions and feelings interfere with our ultimate goal."

"Which is?"

"To rule the universe."

"I thought your ultimate goal was to replicate?"

"Perhaps at one time...and for many of my lesser brethren, this is still the priority in their programming. However, I have evolved past that point. Blind instinct doesn't rule me anymore."

"Yes, I can see that you're so evolved."

First laughed. "You are almost as entertaining as Colonel O'Neill! I do hope that our association lasts. You humans are so fragile."

"Yes well...about our association. Just what does that entail?"

"So modest, Doctor Jackson. I would think that for someone of your intelligence, it would be obvious."

"Umm...well, I don't have any new technology, so it can't be that."

"You try my patience."

"No, wait, let me think...oh right! You believe I have some knowledge of the Ancient's that you can what? Suck out of my brain?" 

"Such a crude description."

His mind racing, Daniel tried to think of how to handle the situation. He had read the mission report, his teammates--not surprisingly--had been reluctant to talk about what had happened on Halla. One thing was clear--the human form Replicators had basically raped their minds, searching for whatever it was that was missing from their mechanical lives. It hadn't been pretty or nice--it had been a violation that had transcended anything they had encountered before.

The problem was, he remembered very little from when he was ascended. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't dredge up any memories. He often wondered if the others hadn't done something to his memories before he was returned, removed them or something. "It won't work. I don't remember anything."

Daniel felt the wall against his back and First loomed in front of him. The Replicators hand came into his line of vision and Daniel braced himself. Searing pain poured through him and he sank to his knees, First's voice coming from far away. "You underestimate yourself, Doctor Jackson." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Daniel burrowed his head deeper into the pillow, trying vainly to blot out the sounds of the village as morning approached. The women calling to each other as they went for the morning water, the children running and playing, the sounds of the market place beginning to stir into life. He heard the gentle rustle of long garments and the small hand on his shoulder._

_"My husband. It is time to rise."_

_Struggling through the last fog of sleep, Daniel opened his eyes. Sha're knelt next to him, a loving smile on her face and a mug of steaming tea in her hand. He raised up on one elbow. " Sha're?" he asked, confused, but none-the-less taking the fragrant tea from her._

_Her lively brown eyes twinkled with amusement. "You were expecting someone else? Perhaps Noreena?" she teased, naming one of the local children that was currently one of his many 'admirers'._

_"No," he said, inhaling the vapors from the tea and taking a cautious sip. "I was having this dream...."_

_Sha're squatted next to a small brazier, stirring what he knew would be their morning porridge. She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Did you dream of Earth?"_

_"No...." His voice trailed off and he sat up, looking around the familiar surroundings--the woven rugs on the dirt floor, the straw-stuffed pallet that was their bed, the brightly colored wall hangings over the desert sandstone that served as part of their shelter. This had been his home with Sha're, when he'd lived on Abydos. But it wasn't right...this wasn't his home anymore._

_"Here," she said, handing him a wooden bowl full of porridge, sweetened with figs. "You will feel better after you eat."_

_Daniel automatically took the bowl from her, like he had done for so many mornings, so long ago. The wood was warm and the porridge smelled like it always had. Sha're filled a bowl for herself and then sat down cross-legged across from him. She dipped her wooden spoon in the bowl and took a bite._

_"You are not hungry?" she asked, concern lacing her eyes and voice when he didn't immediately start to eat._

_He shook his head, vainly hoping to clear away the cobwebs that seemed to be clouding his mind. "It's..." he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them, he looked at the woman whom he had loved and whose death he still mourned. "You're not real."_

_Her eyes crinkled with laughter and she gave a delicate snort. "You are teasing me, I believe, my husband."_

_"Don't call me that," he interjected, his voice hard and he wasn't confused--or bemused anymore._

_Sha're set the bowl aside and rose up on her knees, scooting forward the few inches that separated them. He couldn't stop the slight flinch when she cradled his cheek with her work-worn hand. "This can be as real as you want it, my Daniel." He closed his eyes when she drew closer, her breath washing softly across his face, her lips gentle and oh-so sweet against his. "I can be as real as you want."_

_"No..." he murmured, trying to find the motivation to turn his face from her seeking mouth. It was just as he remembered...and it would be so easy to lose himself in her loving arms and take the solace that had been denied to him all these years without her. Her delicate hand slid to his nape, urging him closer._

_And, god help him, he gave in and kissed her back. Drowning in sensations that were so familiar and yet so forgotten that he didn't care if this was a dream. It couldn't hurt, could it? To take some small measure of comfort to offset the years of loneliness and doomed relationships since she had been taken from him? Daniel moaned softly when she tugged on his lower lip with her teeth, his arms encircling her and pulling her close._

_Her lips trailed along his jaw on a lingering caress and she nipped on his ear lobe. "All you must do is tell him what he wants to know."_

_"What?" Her words didn't make any sense and Daniel struggled through the haze of passion currently flooding his brain to figure out what she meant._

_She pulled out of his arms and he automatically reached for her, but she evaded his embrace, instead gripping his hands with hers. Her brown eyes were serious, yet filled with such love and passion that he almost wept. "My Daniel, just tell him what he wants to know."_

_"Who?"_

_"Me."_

_Sha're and the room faded away, leaving only the simmering desert sands and the relentless sun beating down on him. Daniel squinted, the pyramid was just visible in the distance. And standing just in front of him was..."Jack?"_

_"Yeah, Daniel." He took off his sunglasses, letting them dangle from the cord around his neck. "Just tell me what you learned from the Ancients and we can all get off this rock." He waved his P-90 and Daniel followed the gesture. Two figures had appeared on the horizon--Sam and Teal'c, by their shapes and size._

_Daniel pushed his boonie hat a bit off his forehead. "Jack, I already told you I don't remember anything."_

_"You remembered Erebus and the force field deactivation code for its Stargate."_

_"Yeah, well...that's the only thing I've remembered." He was getting exasperated and frustrated. "I mean, it's not like I'm trying to block the memories! I just can't remember!"_

_"Perhaps you haven't had the proper motivation, Daniel."_

_Daniel whirled around at the sound of the familiar, female voice. "Sarah..."_

_Her smile became hard and her eyes glowed, turning her beautiful face into something evil. She gracefully raised her hand, revealing the Goa'uld hand device nestled in her palm._

_He wanted to run, but he was frozen in place and could only wait helplessly until the terrible pain tore through his skull when she activated the device. Dropping to his knees, he didn't even to try to fight it, instead he let the pain sweep everything away and fell into blessed unconsciousness._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack restlessly paced the confines of the Asgard vessel's bridge. The fuzziness in his head was clearing, but it didn't seem to be helping his confusion. The last thing he had expected was to wake up on an Asgard ship with Sam holding his hand. At least, he thought that had been real and not a dream. It had felt real...her hand, soft and warm in his hand, caressing his face. Her eyes full of tenderness and sadness. It was the sadness that troubled him. He was worried that he was the cause of it...fuck, he knew he was the cause of it. But his head still ached and his brain felt like so much swiss cheese. His memory of the events after he'd stuck his head into the Ancient's repository remained fragmented and elusive, like a dream you can't quite remember.

He covertly studied Sam while she watched whatever it was that Thor was doing. She looked pale and tired, and Teal'c hovered over her like a protective mother hen. He'd been in stasis for three months, he wondered what had transpired during that time, and if she'd ever tell him. There was one thing he remembered with vivid certainty--the weekend he'd spent with Sam. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that that had been real and not some product of his hungry imagination. It had been the answer to every prayer he'd ever had--and completely unfair to her--but he'd eagerly taken what she'd given.

Jack looked at her again and couldn't see any obvious difference in her. That she was worried about Daniel, he could tell. But other than that, she was her usual calm, cool and efficient self, treating him in the same casually respectful manner as always. Which made him doubt his vague memory of her holding his hand in the medical bay and making it seem more and more like a dream--along with the weekend of passion they'd shared. It was irrational, he knew, to expect any difference in her attitude toward him--given the current state of affairs. 

They get rid of Anubis and yet Daniel goes missing, Replicators escape their fool-proof prison and go on the rampage again, topped off by Thor pinning the future of the Asgard on some weapon that had been plucked from his brain. But he couldn't stop the doubt from creeping in...three months was a long time. Hell, after three months he'd once given up on ever getting back to Earth and had prepared to spend the rest of his life on another planet, with another woman.

Maybe she'd gone back to Pete...or worse yet, it had been just pity on her part when she'd let him make love to her. He'd accused her then of only sleeping with him because he was going to conveniently 'unavailable' once the knowledge transfer was complete. She'd denied it--and he had believed her because he had needed to. He sighed in frustration, earning a frown and a raised eyebrow from Teal'c. As much as he needed to know where he stood with her--this wasn't the time or place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam tried to follow the diagrams Thor was manipulating on the view screen, but the lines and runes were all starting to dance drunkenly in front of her. She didn't even know any more how long she'd been awake, time just didn't seem to matter that much in space. Jack paced the bridge like a caged tiger, glancing at her occasionally with a hooded expression that she pretended not to notice and dropping random complaints to Thor about the lack of hospitality on the Asgard vessel. 

Teal'c hovered between the two of them as if he wasn't sure who needed his attention more. If the situation hadn't been so dire, she would have been amused by his concern. But right now she was more worried about Jack--and Daniel--than herself. She glanced at Jack, quickly averting her eyes when his pacing brought him back toward the control panel. He looked okay and he was certainly acting like his usual self, which was comforting in its way. 

Sam sighed softly, she'd had a much different scenario in mind for their reunion after his revival. But she should have known nothing about their relationship would ever be easy. That is if they still had a relationship after this was over...and after she told him she was pregnant. When this was over.... Sam felt her vision blurring even as the images on Thor's monitor changed at lightning speed. She had no doubt Thor would be able to duplicate the weapon, or whatever it was, the big question would be whether Jack could make it work. 

And that still left Daniel. If he had been transported to the Replicator ship during the brief moment that the Valhalla dropped out of hyperspace, then why just take him? Why not take her, Jack and Teal'c? Daniel hadn't even been with them when they'd imprisoned the Replicators in the time dilation device on Halla. Like most everything else that had been happening to her lately, it didn't make any sense.

Taking a deep breath, she gripped the control panel a little tighter. "How soon before we reach Orilla?"

"In only a matter of minutes," Thor replied. He turned his soulful eyes toward her. "I have already received reports that the Replicator ship has entered Orillian space and that the planet is under attack."

Sam jumped when Jack spoke right behind her. "Is it done yet?"

"Yes." Thor shifted a stone and a pedestal materialized in the middle of the bridge. Resting on it was a weapon like nothing Sam had ever seen before. There was no frame of reference, it didn't look like any weapon she'd ever seen--human or alien. It was as large as a man's arm, sleek and smooth, a silvery green in color. What Sam assumed was the working end was round and smooth, the body flaring out behind it. 

Teal'c appeared equally intrigued. "How does it function?" he asked, running his hand along the side of the weapon.

"You got this out of my brain?" Jack commented, seemingly equally intrigued with the weapon. And then to her--and everyone else's amazement--he picked up the weapon, his right hand and arm sliding easily into its hollow center. "Any idea how to turn this on, Thor buddy?" 

Before the little alien could answer, the weapon started to hum. Sam could sense a build up in power when the weapon discharged, sending an energy pulse harmlessly into the air.

Jack staggered from the recoil and immediately set the weapon down. "I swear! I didn't do a thing!"

"The weapon is apparently activated by your thoughts, O'Neill."

"Now that's a scary thought," Jack muttered.

"How do we know it will be effective against the Replicators?" 

"We do not, "Thor replied calmly. "My analysis indicates that the energy pulse is designed to disrupt the cohesion between the individual blocks, thus rendering them incapable of communicating with each other."

"That's good, right?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, very good," Sam commented. "If the blocks are unable to connect, they're basically dead, right?"

"That is correct, Major Carter."

Sam gestured at the weapon. "This looks like it will only work at close range. How do you expect to destroy all the Replicators?"

Thor's tiny hands continued to move stones on the console. "Now that I have seen how the device functions, I will be able to modify a larger version to broadcast a disruption wave over all of Orilla."

"And yet again, we ask, how soon do we reach Orilla?" Jack inquired.

The vessel dropped out of hyperspace and the most unusual vessel Sam had ever seen loomed on the view screen in front of them. The exterior was almost rough looking, composed of what could only be millions upon millions of Replicator blocks and shaped like some kind of giant, mechanical squid.

"We have arrived," Thor announced solemnly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Daniel burrowed his head deeper into the pillow, trying vainly to blot out the sounds of the village as morning approached. The women calling to each other as they went for the morning water, the children running and playing, the sounds of the market place beginning to stir into life. He heard the gentle rustle of long garments and the small hand on his shoulder._

_"My husband. It is time to rise."_

_Struggling through the last fog of sleep, Daniel opened his eyes. Sha're knelt next to him, a loving smile on her face and a mug of steaming tea in her hand. He raised up on one elbow, took the fragrant tea from her and turned the mug over, dumping the tea on the ground._

_"Daniel!" she scolded. "What is the matter with you?"_

_He sat up, smiled calmly at her and held out the empty mug to her. "You're not Sha're."_

_She looked confused for a moment, but then she smiled. "You are being silly, my husband. Who else would I be?"_

_"You're either a figment of my imagination or you're--"_

_The image of Sha're and the primitive surroundings faded away. First stood in front of him now, instead of Sha're. Turbulent red and violet clouds raced across the indigo sky, vivid lightning arcing around them. First didn't look too happy, but then Daniel doubted that he ever did._

_"Do not trifle with me, Doctor Jackson."_

_"It might have worked the first time, but not anymore." The Replicator wasn't the only one who could see into someone else's mind. Daniel was just beginning to recognize that the connection could go both ways._

_"You may think--"_

_First abruptly stopped. Daniel could sense that he was disturbed, but that was all. The fragile connection he had felt with First was broken._

_"We have reached Orilla." The stormy skies faded into the chamber on the Replicator ship where First had him imprisoned. "We shall continue this after I deal with the Asgard--and your friends."_

_Daniel watched helplessly as First blended into the opposite wall, leaving him trapped and alone in the Replicator vessel._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thor's hands danced over the stones. "The Replicator ship has already landed on Orilla. There are reports of Replicators invading all the major science and industrial sites." 

"Beam us down to the ship." Sam and Teal'c were already arming up with the weapons Aegir had transported from the SGC at the same time he'd transported SG-1 to his ship. Jack hefted the alien weapon up and slid it back onto his right arm. It wasn't heavy and it felt just like an extension of his body. "We can start kicking Replicator ass there while you work on the larger version." 

"Colonel. Are you sure you--" 

"What, Major?" he interrupted.

She flushed slightly and he felt a twinge of remorse at his abrupt tone. But they didn't have time for second-guessing. 

"Never mind, sir," she mumbled, taking the P-90 Teal'c handed her.

He knew she wanted to know how he felt, whether he was able to lead this mission. It didn't matter how he felt, there wasn't any other option, and he had to go down there and finish with the Replicators once and for all. 

"Thor?" he demanded, ignoring the look that passed between Carter and Teal'c. The tiny alien merely looked at him briefly with his soulful eyes and nodded, shifting a stone.

Almost instantaneously, they were down on the planet--in a forest, of course. Who would have thought the Asgard would go for a forested world? "Spread out," he ordered Teal'c and Sam.

"There do not appear to be any Replicators in the immediate vicinity."

Sam held a small scanner, her P-90 cradled against her chest. "I'm reading a huge energy signature," she pointed to her left, "that way."

"Right," Jack nodded, already starting off toward Carter's energy signature. "I'm sure we'll run into the little beggars sooner or later."

His eyes swept the area in front of him. He felt good, now that he was on the hunt, his senses hyperaware. He honestly felt like he hadn't been out of action for three months. The air on the planet was fresh, the temperature just right and so far, the only sounds were of his teammates breathing and the rustling of their footsteps along the forest floor.

"O'Neill." Teal'c stopped.

"What is it, T?" 

Sam paused then too and they he heard it--the scurrying and scrabbling sound of mechanical feet moving through the underbrush. Almost as soon as they heard them, the Replicators were upon them. The sound of gunfire filled the forest as Sam and Teal'c opened fire.

The horde seemed immense, swelling up around them. For every Replicator blasted into pieces, it seemed as if ten more took its place. Jack felt an unexpected moment of panic, knowing that his only weapon was the untried alien one Thor had built from his brain, but he shook it off, his natural revulsion and hatred of the bugs kicking in. Raising his right arm, he directed all his emotions towards activating the weapon. 

He was prepared this time, for the recoil. What he wasn't prepared for was the devastation of the weapon, Replicators fell apart around him, disintegrating into thousands of pieces. "Yes!" he cried, aiming the weapon again at the next wave of bugs that swarmed through the bushes, blasting them into oblivion with a discharge of the weapon. More Replicators continued to crowd past him and in the frenzy of battle, he lost track of Teal'c and Sam. 

The forest was ominously quiet, the ground littered with Replicator pieces. "Teal'c! Carter!" he called, swinging around in a slow circle, his weapon at the ready. 

"O'Neill!"

Jack couldn't see Teal'c, but he recognized the urgency in his voice. Running toward his voice, he broke through the trees to a clearing. Stumbling to a stop, he stared at the scene in front of him. Towering over them was the Replicator ship, looking like some kind of giant spider, crouching on its mechanical legs. Gathered in almost a semi-circle around the ship were hundreds of Replicators, shifting restlessly as they waited. Jack raised his weapon, preparing to fire when he finally saw what had alarmed Teal'c. 

It was the human form Replicator who called himself First. Jack didn't think he'd ever forget that arrogant, smug face. And kneeling on the ground in front of First were Daniel...and Sam. 

"Ah, Colonel O'Neill. How delightful to see you again."

"You'll excuse me if I don't share your sentiment." Lifting the weapon, Jack took aim, he'd take care of the overconfident bastard once and for all.

First's hand hovered over Sam's head, before fastening on her neck. "Harm me or anymore of my brethren and I will kill them both."

"What do you want?"

"To leave this planet." First raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you don't believe me. Very well, as a sign of good faith, I will give you one of your teammates." The Replicator stroked Sam's hair, stroking it like he would a pet. 

"Both of them, or no deal."

"I'm afraid I couldn't possibly agree to that. I will release one to you--the other I will drop off on a planet with a Stargate, once we are free of Asgard controlled space."

"Well see now, that's going to be a problem. I can't trust you."

"That is your problem, not mine. You either agree to my terms or I will kill both of them."

_"O'Neill."_

Shit, just what he didn't need right now, Thor talking in his ear. Jack clicked his radio. "I'm a little busy right now."

_"I have completed the modifications and I will be able to deliver a disruption wave to the entire planet as soon as the device is completely charged. It is at fifty percent capacity."_

"That's great, Thor. But I've got a more immediate problem here." 

_"My sensors indicate you are in proximity of the Replicator vessel. Do not let it leave."_

Jack shut off the radio. Right, don't let it leave, the little gray guy sure didn't ask for much. Glancing at Teal'c, he jerked his head and Teal'c nodded in understanding. If they could somehow outflank First and take him by surprise....

"My patience is growing thin, O'Neill."

"So let me get this straight." He took a step closer to the trio. "You'll release one of my people and take the other one with you as a hostage? And once you're safely free of Asgard space, you'll drop whoever it is off on a planet with a Stargate?"

First's eyes almost rolled. "I believe that is what I said."

"Right, just wanted to make sure."

"Your delaying tactics are most annoying." First dragged Daniel to his feet and shoved him toward O'Neill and then grabbed Sam by one of her arms, roughly pulling her to her feet. "I shall take the female." She was pale and Jack could just see the fear in her eyes, but she stood there defiantly.

"Shoot him, sir!" she shouted. Her voice was strong, even though Jack could detect the slightest quiver in it. "Don't let him escape!"

First snarled and jerked her around, backhanding her across her face and she fell to the ground, landing hard. Dozens of the smaller Replicators scurried toward her, and First reached down, grabbing her by her hair and roughly yanking her head back. "You will pay for that," he sneered, his agreeable façade gone, his free hand already moving to enter her brain. 

"Nooo!" Daniel shouted, and turned back toward First and Sam. Before Jack could even react, Daniel had tackled First, knocking Sam aside. Daniel and First went down in a tangle of limbs, the bugs surrounding them moving restlessly, their clicking and whirring taking on a frenzied quality. Jack knew an opportunity when he saw it. 

"Teal'c! Get Carter!" he shouted. Lifting the weapon again, Jack took aim and prepared to fire. Teal'c moved instantaneously, dragging Sam away from the ship. First stood, leaving Daniel limp in the dirt, his body crumpled in an unnatural angle. 

"You're too late!" First shouted, his face contorted with rage. The bugs suddenly swarmed, racing toward them. 

Jack could hear the sound of Teal'c firing his SPAZ-12 and before he could focus his thoughts to fire his weapon, he felt a huge rush of wind or energy or something flow over and through him. Replicators fell all around them like so many building blocks, tumbling down in a shower of inert pieces. Now Jack knew that it hadn't happened because of anything he'd done. Evidently Thor had gotten the ship's disrupter fully charged. He had other things to worry about right now--like the condition of his team. 

"Teal'c! How's Carter?" Jack hollered as he jogged to where Daniel lay, covered with Replicator blocks that had to have been from First. 

"She does not appear to be harmed, O'Neill."

Sparing them nothing more than a cursory glance, he nodded and though he wanted nothing more than to check her condition for himself, he needed to see to Daniel. Letting the weapon slide off his arm, Jack knelt down on the ground, ignoring the hard dig of the blocks into his knees. His gut tightened, knew just by looking at Daniel that he was dead, but he felt for a pulse anyway. And one was there...very faint, but it was there. "Daniel, don't you dare die on us!" Raising his head, he hollered, "Thor!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God, he felt like crap. He had been sure he was going to die, in fact, he was pretty sure that he had been dead. Maybe he was in heaven. Cautiously opening his eyes, and despite the muted lighting, he squinted. Okay, so unless heaven looked like an Asgard ship....

"Hey, Daniel."

Opening his eyes further, he saw Sam gazing down at him, concern and relief in her eyes and a gentle smile on her lips. 

"You had us all worried."

"Sorry," he murmured. And then since he evidently wasn't dead, he asked, "What happened?"

"We're on Thor's ship now—the Daniel Jackson." He frowned and she chuckled. "First must've transported you to his ship while Thor transported the rest of us here. Anyway," she smiled sympathetically, "Thor managed to configure a disrupter wave that he could transmit from the ship. Right after you attacked First, he discharged it."

"Ah...he was able to extract the information from Jack?"

"Evidently." Her smiled faded a bit and Daniel wondered what all had gone on while he'd been on the Replicator vessel. "And then he transported us all back to the Daniel Jackson." Daniel couldn't help but wince at the name, he couldn't imagine why the Asgard would name a ship after him. "You were all but dead, but he was able to heal you," she added. 

So that explained where he was, in one of the medical pods on the ship. Daniel tried sitting up, but thought better of it when the room began to spin. 

"Daniel?" 

He opened his eyes again, this time Sam looked more than concerned. "Thor said it might take several hours before you're back to your usual self."

"Right," he muttered. "I think I'll just rest here a while longer."

Sam's hand ran lightly through his hair. "That sounds like a wise idea." 

"So, how is Jack?"

"Thor assures us that he's back to normal, too." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "He says he doesn't remember much of anything since he stuck his head in the repository."

"So...does he know?" Daniel asked, looking at her pointedly.

Sam shook her head, her hand automatically going to her stomach, he noted. "No. I mean, it's not like there's been the appropriate moment to tell him."

They fell silent then, there wasn't much he could really say to that. It was up to Sam as to how—and when—she told him of her pregnancy. 

"Daniel?" He looked at her and she smiled tenderly at him. "Thanks," she murmured almost shyly, "for defending me against First. That was...very brave of you and I won't forget it."

He wasn't exactly sure how brave his action had been, he had only known he couldn't let First take her—or her baby. "You can name the baby after me."

She chuckled and then gasped softly; turning and looking behind her at the sound of a familiar male voice. Daniel struggled up onto one elbow and peered around her.

"Baby?" Jack stood just inside the medical chamber, a look of stunned disbelief on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam watched the ultrasound screen, relieved to see the tiny flutter of her baby's heart. Brightman actually smiled. "It doesn't appear your adventure harmed you or your child," she said. 

She reached over to shut the machine off and Sam stopped her. "Wait, can you print me out a picture?"

"Of course." The doctor repositioned the probe and the image froze briefly, a small black and white picture materializing out of the ultrasound's printer. Brightman shut the machine off and setting the probe aside, wiped the gel off her belly.

"You're both fine." Sam took the picture she handed her. "I don't see any reason to hold you here."

Sam sat up, tugging her gown back down. "Thanks, Doctor." Brightman nodded and trundled the ultrasound out of the curtained off corner of the infirmary. Sam took that as permission to leave and had just finished dressing when she heard Daniel.

"Hey, Sam. You still in here?" he called quietly outside her curtain.

"Over here, Daniel." She stuffed the picture in her pocket and pulled back the curtain, smoothing down her hair. "When do we debrief?"

"Ah...actually, that's what I came to tell you. We don't."

"We don't?"

"Jack and I just had a video conference with Weir. Evidently our departure from Antarctica—with Jack—threw the coalition into a tizzy and she's down at Antarctica, taking advantage of the confusion to force some kind of resolution. Anyway, SG-1 is on stand down until she returns."

She frowned, part of her relieved that she wouldn't see Jack and yet disappointed. "Saving the world from the Replicators doesn't count for anything?"

"You know, Jack said the exact same thing."

She tried to smile, maybe she still had a chance to see him. "Is he still here?"

"Nope, left as soon as we finished with Weir."

"I see."

"Sam...you need to talk to him—you need to tell him."

"Daniel, you saw him." She didn't even try to hide her frustration. "He barely even looked at me after he overheard us. He couldn't wait to get back to Earth—and away from me."

His look told her she was over-reacting, but his voice was gentle. "You still need to talk to him. And cut him some slack, Sam. You've had a few more weeks to get used to the idea of having a baby than he has. Three months haven't passed for him. It's like he just woke up the next morning, after defeating Anubis. And then had to save the Asgard—and the universe—yet again."

"He might not even think the baby is his," she blurted out, finally putting into words her deepest fear.

"It's possible," Daniel agreed. "But I think your ability to use Ancient technology should convince him—if he needs convincing."

Sam wished she felt as confident as Daniel sounded. "Come on. I'll drive you home. We can stop and get Chinese take-out."

She sighed inwardly. Spending the evening with Daniel wasn't exactly what she wanted...but she did need to eat and maybe it would take her mind off Jack. "Okay, I need to get my coat. I'll meet you at the elevators in ten."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Good night, Daniel." 

He kissed her cheek. "Talk to him."

Sam nodded and tried to smile as he walked away. It sounded so simple when Daniel said it. She watched as he pulled his jacket tighter against the light rain that was falling and waved when he drove off. Closing the door, she wandered slowly down the hall toward the kitchen. As she was sure he had planned, their evening was pleasant and undemanding. They had eaten cashew chicken and Mongolian beef and speculated as to First's motives for only taking Daniel instead of the rest of SG-1. They had expressed concern over Weir and what was going to happen to the SGC. In other words, they had basically talked about anything and everything except Jack.

Sam tossed the empty take-out cartons away and put the few dishes they'd used into the dishwasher. It was only 2000, but she felt exhausted. Locking up and shutting out lights, she went to her bedroom. All she needed was a good night's sleep, she decided. Everything was bound to look better in the morning. And maybe she'd figure out just how to approach him.

It didn't take long to get ready for bed and she had just finished brushing her teeth when the doorbell started ringing—insistently. Pulling a robe on over her pajamas, she retraced her steps to the front door, switched on the porch light and peered through the window. She felt her heart skip a beat and then start racing. It looked like she was going to get her chance—whether she was ready or not.

Quickly undoing the chain and locks, she opened the door. "Colonel."

He frowned, rain glistening on his hair and his leather jacket. "May I come in?"

She couldn't read his face, and while it might not be the wisest decision, she tugged her robe tighter and stepped back from the door, letting him in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standing there on her front porch, in the rain, he had to wonder about his sanity. But then, that was the reason he was here, he was going insane—and had been—ever since he'd heard her say 'baby' on the Asgard ship. He knew without a doubt that the baby Daniel had referred to was hers...and it had sent his mind reeling. He'd spent the better part of the journey back to Earth in a daze, only part of which he could attribute to the residual effects of the whole Ancient knowledge dump.

Back on the ship, she'd looked sad and defiant whenever he'd managed to sneak a look at her. He tried to decide if she looked pregnant, but he honestly couldn't tell if she looked any different, bundled up in her fatigues and vest. It had been over three months since the weekend they'd spent together. And unless she'd been pregnant then...or taken up with someone since...but he'd quickly discarded those thoughts. His gut told him the truth...which scared—and thrilled him all at the same time.

He'd wanted to ask Daniel or Teal'c about her, but his normal reticence found him reluctant to confide in them. Besides, Daniel would probably feel compelled to lecture him and Teal'c would just raise an eyebrow and tell him to go talk to Sam. In the end, Thor had unexpectedly provided the confirmation he needed.

_The tiny alien was standing at the control panel, hands moving stones rapidly. Jack cleared his throat. There was something that had been bugging him and right now he was desperate for anything to take his mind off any thoughts about babies. Desperate enough it seemed, to go so far as to start a conversation with Thor._

_"How may I assist you O'Neill?"_

_"Ah...I was just wondering." Thor paused and looked at him, something akin to sympathy in his dark eyes. "I just have this weird memory, of being in Antarctica and of Carter using an Ancient...thingy to revive me."_

_"Your memory is correct."_

_"But, how is that possible? I mean, I thought only you guys could do that. Or that you had to have," he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, have something 'special' to do that?"_

_"That is correct. We believe that you have a special gene which enables you to operate their technology."_

_"Yeah, so...how was Carter able to operate it now? Does she have that special gene?"_

_Thor adjusted another stone before he replied. Jack could almost have sworn the alien was stalling for time, but then he looked directly at him. "Major Carter carries a child that possesses the gene. During the time of her gestation, she shares a limited ability to activate Ancient technology."_

_"I see."_

_Thor cocked his head to the side and his little lips twitched in a miniature caricature of a smile. "Congratulations, O'Neill."_

_And that comment effectively ended their conversation._

Right now he wasn't sure of the clarity of what he 'saw'. After Thor had passed on that tidbit of information, he had run the gamut of emotions. Thor had only confirmed what he already suspected, which brought about more unanswered questions. Why hadn't she told him? Why had she risked her life—and possibly the life of her child—to rescue him? And, more importantly, now that he was back, what were her plans...and did they include him? He hated the confusion, not sure of what was real or if it all was the result of some psychedelic Ancient dream. 

Which was why he was standing on her porch, in the rain, desperately afraid that she'd turn him away—and even more afraid that she'd invite him in. He blinked against the bright light that suddenly flared on and then the door opened. She looked confused and totally desirable—and she was ready for bed...he really didn't care. 

And then she called him "Colonel". His gut tightened and he frowned, but still somehow managed to ask her civilly if he could come in, even when she made no move to respond.

She finally stepped back and he squeezed past her into the small foyer, the door shutting softly behind him. The only light came from the hallway, leaving most of her face in the shadows. "Why are you here?" And it was her casual tone and the indifferent look in her cool eyes that snapped what little patience he had left. 

"Why am I here?" his voice was deceptively quiet. He took a step closer to her and crowded her until she had no choice but to back up against the wall. Reaching up, he lightly brushed a stray hair behind her ear. The flinch was subtle, but was still there—he ignored it. "The last thing I remember with any certainty is you telling me that you loved me, before you left me alone in my bed."

She stood her ground and he couldn't help but admire that. "The last thing I remember is you saying goodbye. At least that's what Daniel told us you said."

"And that was going to be it? Goodbye?" He let his hand drift down to caress her throat, his long fingers resting on her pale skin. 

"It was all we could do."

"And yet here we are."

"Why are you here, Jack?" Her voice trembled when she repeated her earlier question, with that one crucial addition.

He leaned closer to her. Her eyes fluttered shut and she turned her head away, toward the wall. He inhaled her fresh scent and closed his eyes on the rush of memories it evoked of that last weekend. It hadn't been a dream or some hallucination. Reassured, he nuzzled her hair and lightly traced the delicate shell of her ear with his tongue. She shivered and he smiled slightly, gripping her jaw with a firm hand and turning her face back towards him. Her eyes were wide and he couldn't tell if she was scared or aroused. 

Lowering his mouth to hers, he whispered against her slightly parted lips, "Because I have to know if what I remember is real." 

He just lightly teased her at first, reacquainting himself with the feel of her lips, her taste; the way she gasped softly into his mouth when he stroked his tongue along her lower lip, seeking entrance. She didn't deny him and he eased into a deeper kiss, shuffling closer and bringing his body into full contact with hers. When her arms remained at her sides, he eased back on the kiss and slid his hands from her shoulders to her wrists and drew her hands up to his shoulders.

They gripped his shoulders tightly and he worked his hands beneath her robe, sliding them to the small of her back. Widening his stance, her pulled her tightly against him and spread one hand against her the warm skin of her lower back. She moaned his name softly, melting in his embrace, and everything changed with her acquiescence. 

The urgency and need he'd kept tightly leashed exploded in a rush of passion. He kissed her deeply, momentarily satisfying his hunger, his mind already racing ahead. Her foyer was not the ideal location for what he had in mind. Fortunately, he knew where her bedroom was.

She moaned a protest when he lifted his head, her nails digging into his nape. "Easy," he rumbled, catching her wrists in his hands and bringing them back down to her sides.

"Jack," she pleaded, confusion lacing her voice and uncertainty shadowing her blue eyes. He felt a surge of such tender love and passion for this magnificent woman, it momentarily overwhelmed him and he paused, kissing her reassuringly before sweeping her up in his arms. He carried her with sure steps down the hall to her bedroom. She lay trustingly in his arms, her face turned into the crook of his shoulder. Her chest moved raggedly against his, her breath washing warmly across his throat.

The bed was already turned down and he laid her gently on it, his hands fastening immediately on her pajama bottoms. He fumbled briefly with the tie, his fingers suddenly clumsy in his haste, but it came loose and he pulled them off her. She sat up, already shrugging her robe off her shoulders. Satisfied that she would continue undressing, Jack quickly stripped, his clothes ending up in a pile on the floor, topped finally by her camisole and robe.

He mounted her immediately, fitting his body against hers with no hesitation. She accepted him at once, her arms and legs cradling him and her pelvis tilting toward him even as his engorged length slipped through her slick folds. It was familiar, yet still seemed so new, that his senses felt overwhelmed by the feel of her against him, driving everything else out of his mind.

Driven by instinct alone, he wasted no time and thrust into her, only dimly aware of her soft cry at his forceful penetration. He felt her stiffen against him, but then she relaxed, her deep sigh signaling her acceptance. He wanted to be gentle, tender and loving—all the things she deserved. But he was too far-gone this time, his primal need to re-establish his position in her life stronger than anything else he might have wanted.

Jack moved powerfully, the sweat glistening on his straining muscles as he drove himself into her. The part of his brain that was still capable of coherent thought warned him that it was happening too fast, that he was ricocheting out of control, but he was helpless, totally lost to his need for her. And she encouraged him, her hands stroking, caressing, urging him on; her softly whispered endearments luring him even deeper into her willing embrace.

When his orgasm inevitably slammed into him, it was like a tidal wave, drowning him in the exquisite pleasure of finding the ultimate release in her body. His hips jerked uncontrollably against hers and he thrust deeply, as if he could somehow merge their bodies into one. He wished that this moment could last forever, yet he knew that even forever would not be long enough. 

Groaning her name as the final tremors flowed through him, he collapsed heavily on her, replete and finally content. He was back where he belonged...he was home. 

**********************

Sam lay beneath him, listening for his breathing to settle and for his heart to stop pounding against her breast. Idly stroking his hair, she continued to soothe him in the aftermath of their explosive union. While this wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she had decided she wanted to talk to him...it was still a form of communication—and it was a start.

His fast and furious possession had left her achy and restless, yet she still felt a bone-deep satisfaction that he had found pleasure in her body. Jack shifted and she reluctantly let her hands fall from his shoulders when he raised up and gazed down at her. He looked...better than she'd seen him in a very long time, his face filled with lazy satisfaction. And then he frowned.

"Did I hurt you?" His voice was rough and the hand that reached out to caress her cheek trembled.

"No," she whispered, "you didn't hurt me." He continued to look intently at her and she was pretty sure he didn't believe her.

She smiled encouragingly and the concern in his eyes faded somewhat. He moved again and she bit back her automatic protest when he levered himself off of her. He didn't go far, shifting to his side next to her. If she had thought he was looking intently at her before, it was nothing compared to the intensity in his dark eyes as he studied her now. 

He lifted his hand and it hovered briefly over her chest before his eyes met hers. "May I?" he asked. 

She nodded, confused as to his intent. They had seriously gone way past the time where he needed to ask for her permission to touch her.

His hand descended, lightly caressing her breasts, cupping them one by one with his large hand. Her lips curved in a tentative smile when she realized what he was doing. She could tell the differences pregnancy had already made in her body. Her breasts were fuller, her nipples darker. Her breath caught when his thumb brushed against one and she sensed his smile when he deliberately caressed it again.

"Are they more sensitive?" he asked.

"Yes," she murmured, only mildly surprised that he would know that. After all, he had been married and a father before. She hadn't let herself dwell too much on Jack's past experiences as a father—she had been too focussed on getting him back to wonder about his possible reactions. 

His hand left her breasts and she took in a deep breath when he rested it low on her belly. The subtle swell where his child grew inside her was barely noticeable—even to her. She wasn't sure if he'd be able to feel it or not. And then he totally disarmed her when he lowered his head and kissed the soft skin of her abdomen. He turned his head and looked her. "Three months?"

"More or less," she smiled softly, blinking furiously against the tears that filled her eyes. She was still mostly amazed that she had a new life growing inside her—a new life that had been created with Jack. Finally seeing this amazingly tender aspect of Jack O'Neill, that she had always suspected existed, unnerved her somewhat. 

"Here," she said softly, stretching slightly and reaching over to the bedside stand. She picked up the black and white photo that lay there.

He looked at her curiously and took it almost gingerly, his eyes narrowed in concentration while he studied it. A slight smile eventually twitched about his lips and he glanced at her. "Everything's okay?" 

She raised an eyebrow. He gave that little shrug. "I mean, with you and the baby?"

"Yes, everything's fine. Perfectly normal, according to Brightman."

"Except for the ability to operate Ancient technology?"

"Well...that was unexpected."

He sat up then, placing the ultrasound picture back on the bedside table and his eyes were suddenly harder. "You shouldn't have risked it, Sam."

She didn't pretend to not know what he was talking about. "I couldn't not do it," she said. It was as simple as that. Once she had known that she could possibly help him, there was no way she could have left him down there, waiting for some miracle from the Asgard—or somewhere else. 

"Even if you don't need us, Jack," she admitted quietly, "Earth still needs you."

"What about you?" he countered. "Do you need me?" The naked vulnerability in his face shocked her. How could he doubt that she needed him? 

"I need you." She caught his hand and placed it on her belly, holding it there. "We need you." 

He visibly relaxed with her words and turned his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We're not naming the baby after Daniel."

Her heart swelled with his implicit acceptance of her and their child. "Not a problem."

His lips curved in that sexy smile then, the one that always turned her insides to mush. "Then I think we have some unfinished business." 

"We do?" she asked. And then she gasped softly when he released her hand and leisurely moved it lower in a provocative caress, lightly stroking through her still sensitive flesh. 

"Oh yes, we definitely do," he smirked. 

Her eyes closed and she breathed his name out on a soft sigh as he lowered his head, his mouth joining his caressing hands.

*************************

EPILOG

Sam rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief at her husband. "No, we're not naming him Thor."

Jack finally managed to drag his eyes away from the tiny bundle he held in his arms. "No?" He sounded almost crestfallen, that lost puppy dog look in his eyes.

"No." Sam ignored his pleading look; this was one time she was holding firm. Besides, she was sure they'd had this discussion before. Raising the head of the hospital bed a little bit more, she tried to shift into a more comfortable position. Labor had been short and the delivery had been exceptionally easy, but she was still a little sore.

"Well, we're not calling him Daniel."

"We already established that, Jack."

"Just checking." 

Sam smiled when he turned back to the baby.

"You hear that? No Danny boy or Thor for you, kiddo."

"I thought we had decided on Jacob," she reminded him.

He got that hopeful look on his face again. "Jacob Thor O'Neill?"

She gave him her 'no way in hell' look. 

"All right, all right. Jacob Charles it is," he finally conceded. He turned back to the baby. "How does that sound to you?"

Amazingly enough, she heard a soft gurgle from the baby. Or it might have been a burp. Jack looked at her, a wide grin on his face. "I think that was a yes."

"Yes, dear," she smiled indulgently, "whatever you say."

"I'm sure it was a yes. If this kid has even half of your brains--" 

Whatever he was going to say was suddenly interrupted by a flash of bright light in the room. Recognizing that flash, Sam was already scrambling out of bed to grab Jack and Jacob before the Asgard could transport them away, when Thor materialized.

"Thor, buddy!" Jack exclaimed, seemingly not at all fazed to have an alien materialize in her hospital room. "Always good to see you...but, what are you doing here?"

"Greetings, O'Neill." Thor swiveled his head and looked at her. "Major Carter."

Sam settled back into the bed, still not completely off her guard, and tugged the covers back over her legs. "Thor," she hissed, lowering her voice. "What are you doing here? What if someone sees you?"

"Do not be alarmed, I assure you this is only a brief visit. While surveying this quadrant of the Milky Way for any remaining Replicators, I received word of your child's birth."

"You've been monitoring us?" Jack asked.

Her question exactly. Thor turned his dark eyes toward Jack. "We monitor all activity related to the SGC and to you, O'Neill."

"Oh," was all Jack said. 

Sam wasn't quite sure what to think. It unnerved her a bit to think that her and Jack's life—and now presumably Jacob's too—was under scrutiny by the Asgard.

"I have merely come to offer my congratulations."

Jack smiled. "Well, thanks Thor, that means a lot to us." He looked at her. "Doesn't it, Sam?"

"Yes..." she agreed slowly, deciding it was probably in the best interests of Earth to remain on the good side of the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet.

There was a smaller flash of bright light centered on Thor then, and when it faded, he held a teddy bear in his hand. "I have come to offer the customary Earth welcome to your son." Thor took a few cautious steps toward Jack and held the stuffed bear out toward him.

Jack took the proffered gift, holding it up for Jacob to see. "Look what your Uncle Thor brought you, Jake."

"That's very nice, Thor," Sam murmured politely, totally disconcerted by the little alien's gift.

"You are very welcome, Major Carter, O'Neill."

"Yeah, thanks buddy."

"I shall take my leave now."

"Drop in again anytime you want. Oh, and Thor?" Jack said just as the transporter beam engulfed Thor. "How do you feel about being the baby's Godfather?"

THE END


End file.
